


Come and Get Your Love

by Star_trekkin_across_theuniverse



Series: Escape [3]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Peter Quill/Roxy Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 05:11:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3516593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_trekkin_across_theuniverse/pseuds/Star_trekkin_across_theuniverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roxanne and the bands are in Boston to play the Garden. Peter is in the middle of Knowhere, determined to make up for the last time he saw her. And somehow, Tony Stark is involved. Because Tony Stark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come and Get Your Love

“If someone doesn’t get me white cheddar popcorn in the next five minutes, I may commit a homicide,” Roxanne snapped from where she had flung herself in the change room. With every date that passed, she was more and more exhausted. Her face was now breaking out, and her knees ached too. It was like she had decided to go through puberty and old age all at once. She had never reacted this way to a tour before, but she decided that whatever it was, it needed medicating with white cheddar popcorn.

“Jerry’s on it, love,” Jinx lifted her feet into his lap and sat. He pulled her boots off, and rubbed the balls of her feet. Roxanne groaned and tried to relax. Jinx pressed his thumbs into her arch and she let her head drop back and tried to hold in the tears. It felt so good, but it hurt so much.

“What is wrong with me? I’ve never been this moody and miserable on a tour,” she complained, meeting Jinx’s steady gaze.

“Your pants are tight,” he commented.

“Oh my god,” she snatched her feet out of his lap. “Fuck you, Jamie. That was totally uncalled for.”

“No, love, that’s not what I meant,” he grabbed her feet and pulled them back into his lap, forcibly containing her movement. She leveled an angry glare at him and clenched her teeth, waiting for him to continue. “What I meant was that your pants are tight. Your feet are swollen. You’re retaining water, darling. Your joints ache. Your face is a mess. We’re neither of us as young as we used to be, Rox. Sleeping on the bus is no way to live. You should consider flying –“

“You know how much I hate flying. No,” she interrupted.

“Well, consider staying in a hotel instead of sleeping in your damn bunk before you make yourself sick. And start taking your goddamn vitamins. You eat garbage on tour, and your energy level always tanks about a month in.” His hands moved up her ankles and massaged the soft, swollen tissue around the bones.

“You’re too smart to be a drummer, Jamie,” Roxanne sighed.

“As though you’re the only smart one in the band,” he scoffed. Roxanne let out a bark of laughter.

“Hey, we have a reputation to maintain as a rock band. You can’t be just as smart as me, Jinx. You’ve got to be rough around the edges,” she protested. He shook his head.

“Your secret is out, Roxanne. Did you see the cover of People magazine this week? It’s all about the tour and goes into depth about your degrees, your background, your motivations, etc. They did a nice inset about The Vinyl Frontier. I bet business picks up for a while.” 

“I’m going to close my eyes. You are going to stop talking, and keep rubbing. Wake me when my popcorn arrives,” Roxanne yawned and tipped her head back to rest it on the couch.

XXX

Peter looked out across the stars in front of him, and for the first time in as long as he could remember, he didn’t particularly care for what he was seeing. His mind was back where there were tall pine trees, cerulean skies and wild daisies. It had been years since his mind had been so occupied with thoughts of home, and he wasn’t stupid enough to not recognize the correlation. Roxanne was on his mind, and as a result, he was thinking about home.

Which meant he wasn’t thinking about watching his tail to make sure they hadn’t been followed. Nova Prime had contacted them with a request. The Nova Corp couldn’t be seeing trafficking black market commodities, but there was a hefty reward being offered to the Guardians if they could acquire celestial spinal fluid. For totally above-board purposes, of course. 

Peter shook his head and focused on the vista in front of him. It hadn’t taken long to get to Knowhere, and it wouldn’t take long to get back to Xandar. He was tempted to set the course to autopilot, but with the cargo they were carrying, the entire crew needed to be mindful of their surroundings. Drax had turned in for the night hours before, arguing that it made no sense to have five exhausted people losing focus. His argument had convinced both Gamora and Rocket to leave Peter with Groot. 

“What do you say, Groot? Back to Awesome Mix, or something else the Star-Lady put on the gadget?” He glanced over at Groot. “Yeah, something else. Maybe this ‘best stuff from 87-95’ mix.” He set the iPod back in the dock and smiled as the peppy beat filled the cabin. After seeing Groot dancing in his peripheral, Peter pushed himself out of his chair and stretched. The beat was catchy, Peter could understand Groot dancing. He let his hips sway at little and then flopped back into the pilot’s seat. He looked back at Groot, who fell still under his gaze.

“I want to see her, Groot.” He closed his eyes and sighed. An alarm suddenly sounded, and his eyes popped back open. There was a blip on the map screen showing something behind them, and Peter flicked the heads-up display to show the broad expanse of space behind the Milano. The sensor caught movement and locked on, bringing in an inset. It was a Ravager ship. Peter’s brow furrowed and he turned down the music, allowing the hailing frequency to open. 

“Quill! Just where the hell do you think you’re going?” It was Yondu.

“We’re just running a standard delivery for the Nova Corp, Yondu, relax,” Peter lied. Yondu’s eyes narrowed and he leaned closer.

“Ain’t no such a thing as a standard delivery when Nova Corp is involved. What are you up to, Peter?”

“Just dropping some cargo, and then heading to Terra, Yondu.” Peter swiveled in his chair, avoiding the focused look from Yondu. He paused the iPod and turned back.  
“Terra again? What’s so special about Terra?” Yondu demanded. Peter feigned interest in Groot, checking his soil and refusing to look back to the console where the Zatoan waited.

“Nothing, Yondu. Just been homesick.”

“You’ve never been homesick a day of your life, Quill,” Yondu was waiting for him to admit something, but Peter wasn’t going to give the information up. “If you aren’t going to tell me about Terra, tell me about what you’re carrying for the Nova Corp.”

“Just a simple delivery, Yondu,” Peter glanced back at the screen.

“The Nova Corp has freighters, Peter.”

“Maybe not so simple then, but it’s a paying gig, so I’m not asking questions,” Peter shrugged. It still wasn’t an honest answer, but it was more likely Yondu would accept that Peter hadn’t asked about an unknown cargo than that he fully knew that he was transporting a black market commodity for the main law enforcement group in the galaxy.

“I’m watching you, boy.” Yondu’s hand came up to the screen and then it turned black. Peter rolls his eyes and turned the iPod back on. He checked the navigation chart and recalculated their arrival time to Xandar before hailing Gamora to come take the helm so he could get some rest.

XXX

“You must be doing something right with your press, Roxy.” Jerry strode into the dressing room and dropped a coffee on the table in front of her. He settled on the chair opposite her and slid a piece of paper across the table at her. It was the daily donation totals. They were almost obscenely high. She’d anticipated a slightly higher donation total because they were in Boston and she was an MIT alum, but she hadn’t expected such a huge surge in donations. She pulled the paper closer and ran her finger down the column of numbers.

“What is this one? There’s no donor name.” She pointed to a donation of five hundred thousand dollars.

“That came from an anonymous source,” Jerry answered, too quickly. Roxanne quirked an eyebrow.

“You only donate half a million dollars anonymously if you have billions to spare, and half a million looks like chump change,” she pointed out. She closed her eyes and sighed. “How much money has he snuck in this way, so far?”

Jerry blanched, but recovered quickly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Roxy. It’s an anonymous donation. Maybe it was from some alumni members.”

“Jerry!” Roxanne snapped and dropped her head into her hands. “It blows my mind that after all these years, with your knowledge of my intelligence, you still try to pull shit like this with me. I am fully aware that Tony fucking Stark is an alumnus of MIT. I made it clear to you that we didn’t want his donations.”

“Which is why, as far as anyone knows, he hasn’t donated a dime to the foundation,” Jerry argued.

“I know, Jerry!” Roxanne slammed her hand against the table. “I know! I want the fucking foundation to stand on its own two feet! I want us to earn these donations because our cause has resonated with people who care about the future of the children in this country!”

“Roxy, I know Stark rubbed you the wrong way, but –“

“But nothing! Send every fucking penny he’s donated back!” Roxanne pushed away from the table and stalked toward the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Jerry drew in a deep breath.

“No.”

“What do you mean, no? You get that it’s not your decision, right?” Roxanne’s grip tightened on the water bottle, splashing some over the lip and down her hand.

“It’s not yours either. What did you just say? You want donations from people who care about the children of America? Do you think Tony Stark doesn’t care, just because he’s a billionaire? He’s throwing money at you in every city with a Stark Industries branch, so that he can spread out the substantial donation he wanted to make on day one. He’s doing it anonymously because you said you had no interest in associating the foundation with Stark Industries. He’s determined to sneak at least ten million dollars into the coffers without anyone knowing about it. He doesn’t care if he gets credit. Because he believes in what you are doing. He is your target fucking market, Roxy!” It had been a long time since Jerry had lost his temper with Roxanne, and she was stunned into silence. “Not to mention, there’s huge bank to be had from having fucking Iron Man back your project. So get your head out of your ass, and think about that!”

Roxanne’s jaw clenched and she sat down on the couch. “Just get out, Jerry.”

“Think about it, Roxy. You’re throwing away an opportunity,” he said as he walked out of the change room. Roxanne dropped her head to the table and sighed. 

XXX

Roxanne sat in the lounge at the hotel, feeling awkward. Her publicist had recommended a professional look. It wasn’t a look Roxanne had attempted since Pixie Stix had released their first album, and she had balked. The compromise was that she had completely changed her hair, getting the stylist to blend a rainbow of colour into her blonde hair before sweeping it back into a loose braid over one shoulder. She’d opted for a retro look, with a bubblegum pink fitted blouse and black pencil skirt that skimmed just past her knees. She had finally conceded to Jinx’s suggestion that she start staying in hotels, and while the road swelling was taking its time in receding, she was feeling better rested.  
She placed her empty glass on the table beside her and scanned the room for a waiter, who made his way over as soon as he met her gaze. 

“The same?” He asked as he picked up her empty glass.

“That would be awesome, thanks,” she nodded.

“Make that two,” a male voice came from beside her, “what are we drinking, Roxy Rain?”

Roxanne looked up and met Tony Stark’s smug gaze. She smirked at the receding back of the waiter and then glanced back to Stark. “Perrier. I get wicked dehydrated after a big show.”

Stark made a face and darted over to the waiter to change his order. He came back holding both their drinks and settled into the leather chair beside Roxanne, turning it just enough that they could look at one another.

“To what do I owe this honour, Roxy? I can call you Roxy, right?”

“I had Jerry go over the books and honestly tell me how much you’ve already donated. We’re one month into the tour and you’ve already donated three million, by dropping smaller donations in pretty much every city we’ve played,” Roxanne started.

“Should be closer to three point five.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? We want the same thing, Roxy. We want kids to have opportunities to fall in love with knowledge like we did. And our education system is just not cutting it. So why not throw money at every organization that is trying to make that happen?” Stark shrugged.

“Mr. Stark, you aren’t throwing money at every organization working towards youth education. You are, however, throwing asstons of cash our way,” Roxanne argued.

“Your foundation is reaching kids I could never hope to reach. Kids that are traditionally into music are not traditionally into science. They aren’t going looking for scholarships for engineering; they want to go to Berklee. But science and music are intimately related. Your foundation has the potential to do that,” he shrugged, finishing his drink. Roxanne had barely touched hers.

“And you believe in us enough to donate anonymously?” Roxanne was floored.

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” He asked. “Are you hungry? I’m starved. There’s a great restaurant just a few blocks from here. I’ll get the valet to bring my car around. We should eat. You look tired.” He waved the waiter back over and spoke a few quick words with him before rising and holding his hand out to Roxanne.

“I don’t know, Mr. Stark –“ She stood, thinking of just going back to her room and ordering room service.

“If I’m going to convince you to partner with me, I need more than a dark hotel bar to convince you,” he placed her hand at his elbow and led her out of the lounge. As they left the hotel lobby, a wave of flashes greeted them. Stark smile and waved, mugging for the camera like a pro. He pulled open the passenger door of the convertible that was waiting at the curb, helping her into the passenger seat. And then, just to incite the paparazzi more, he peeled away from the hotel, leaving a patch of rubber and smoke behind them.

“Dare I ask where we’re headed?” Roxanne asked.

“I need a cheeseburger, and you look like you could use a coffee.” His response wasn’t exactly cryptic but Roxanne wasn’t entirely sure what it meant anyhow. It had been a while since she’d been in Boston, but the roads were still familiar and she smirked when she realized he was driving toward Cambridge. She took in the familiar sights as they crossed the Harvard Bridge, and sighed with a smile. Stark seemed content to drive in silence, and Roxanne was happy to oblige, lost in her thoughts. He pulled into a parking lot and Roxanne was surprised to see a small entourage waiting for them. He helped her out of the car before she could get out on her own, and placed her hand in the crook of his elbow again, an enigmatic smile the only response to her confused one.

“Let me show you something,” he offered as they walked toward a classroom building. They turned into the first bank of classrooms and walked into a class filled with teenage girls in lab coats and safety glasses, mixing chemicals. To Roxanne’s surprise, they didn’t react at all when they saw Stark and her enter the room, but finished the steps they were at, and then sat down, awaiting further instruction. The instructor walked toward them. She was petite, her wavy brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She had no make-up on and looked clean and wholesome. There was humour in her rich brown eyes; the smile she gave Stark was genuine.

“Tony! I didn’t think you’d be back this weekend,” she commented on her approach. Tony gave her a gentle squeeze and Roxanne found herself totally confused about who the woman was.

“I thought this would be a good object lesson for miss fancy pants here.” He nodded his head at Roxanne. “Roxy Rain, this is Ella Carmichael. Not only is Ella wholesome like apple pie, she is a brilliant engineer, and is the face of the Stark Industries Women in STEM program.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ella. I’ve read a lot about the program, it sounds awesome,” Roxanne offered her hand. “I’m Roxanne Raintree.”

“Yeah, I have tickets for tonight. We’re actually taking a bunch of the girls,” Ella shook Roxanne’s hand with animation. “I can’t believe I’m meeting a rock star.”

“Says the girl who works for one of the Avengers?” Roxanne quipped back. Stark started to say something, but Ella flushed and shot him a warning look. “So what is this specific program? If you work at Stark, you aren’t living here in Boston, are you?”  
“No, this is a long-weekend teaser. We pick a city, pick the most disadvantaged schools, and then offer the girls a weekend of science immersion. I like to come and do some really basic experiments with the girls as the first thing that happens, then we turn the rest of the weekend over to the experts,” Ella explained.

“But you’re an engineer?” Roxanne asked.

“Yeah, not a chemist. But it’s fun to blow things up.” Ella’s eyes danced with amusement. “And in Tony’s own words, it’s not screwing around if you write everything down. Then it’s science, right Tony?”

“I learned that from my Dad,” Tony agreed, not really paying attention. He was watching the girls, who were still standing quietly, not saying or doing anything. “Hello, ladies! You’re all staring at me like you’re wondering if it really is me, and yes. It is. I’m Tony Stark, Iron Man, hero of New York, whatever you want to call me. It’s nice to see you all here.”

“Is that Roxy Rain? From Pixie Stix?” One of the girls asked. Roxy smiled and waved. “Why are you dressed so boring?”

“I was meeting Mr. Stark for some boring business stuff, and my manager thought it would be best if I looked more like a scientist and less like a rock star for the meeting,” Roxanne offered.

“That’s dumb. Doesn’t Stark know you’re a rock star already?” The same girl asked. Roxanne smiled at her and walked over to where she was standing with her friends.

“That’s what I said, which is why I got my hair done. Of course, the stylist put it back in this,” Roxanne gestured at the bun, “whatever it is.” She pulled the pins securing the hairstyle and let the rainbow of hair fall down her back. The girls came alive with questions and admiration and chatter. Roxanne pulled up a stool and sat. 

“Is it true that you and Jinx are dating again?” One of them asked. Roxanne laughed.

“Good god, no!”

“What is touring like?”

“Exhausting. Particularly this one. We’re trying to hit so many little places, and then on the big city nights, I’m doing two sets with two different bands. I kinda think I’m going to sing the wrong stuff one of these times,” she admitted.

“I have a question about your degrees. I read it was in some form of astronomy?” Another girl asked.

“Astrophysics, actually. My master’s thesis was on extrasolar planets,” Roxanne offered.

“That must have come in handy when the Chitauri invaded,” another girl commented.

“Not really. I’m not an expert in the field. I finished my masters not long after our first album went platinum, so I haven’t really done any further research.”

“What made you pick that field?” A girl pushed forward from the back of the group.

“I liked to star gaze when I was little. My granddad would hold me in his lap and we’d stare at the sky for hours. He taught me all the constellations. When I started learning about other galaxies, and planets, it just intrigued me. More so now that we know there is more out there than just us,” Roxanne explained. “I wish Mr. Stark had told me we were coming here. I would have insisted we come earlier. I’m afraid I have to go, I’ve got a sound check and rehearsal at the Garden.”

“Before I take Roxy back, did you have any questions for me?” Stark asked from the front of the room, near Ella. The girls moved back to their workstations, ignoring Stark as Roxanne walked back to meet him. “You’re cool. I’ve been reduced to creepy old guy no one wants to talk to.”

“Iron Man is cool, Mr. Stark. But those are teenage girls, meeting a rock star that is also a science geek like them. I’m kinda exactly where it’s at, as role models go.” Roxanne winked and linked arms with Stark again.

“And people say I’m arrogant,” he commented wryly. Roxanne let out a peal of laughter.

“Oh, honey. It’s not arrogance when it’s true,” she teased. Stark stopped walking and looked at her, then shook his head. “Can we hit a Starbucks on the way back to the Garden?”

“If you’ll consider partnering with Stark Industries, I’ll do pretty much anything for you,” Stark bargained. Roxanne buckled in, and met his gaze.

“I’ll think about it. We really don’t want to alienate the –“

“I know all your arguments, and I don’t disagree with them. That’s why we’ve been silently donating since the tour started. Pepper started this initiative for young women. I want to see something that is for disadvantaged kids, and you’re already doing it. We can quietly keep throwing money your way, or we can get our publicists together to see what we can do to make this a win-win all around.” Stark drove like he spoke, with quick deliberate movements.

“You’re used to getting your way, aren’t you, Mr. Stark?”

“If we’re going to be seeing each other on the semi-regular, you should get used to calling me Tony.”

“Even if I agree to let you in on this, that doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing one another regularly, Tony,” Roxanne laughed. He pressed a button on the dashboard.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., can you find out where I need to drop Roxy off? Find out if Jerry wants a media scene or if they can just throw the Zamboni bay open to drive in privately,” Stark spoke to someone through some sort of hands free device.

“Of course, Sir.” The response was a little muffled from the wind, and stayed somewhat muffled when the answer came back. Stark seemed to understand and smirked at Roxanne as he pulled up in front of the Garden.

“Jerry is going to force your hand. He wants the media to see us together twice today,” Stark warned her. Roxanne sighed. 

“And you’re a big enough dick that you’ll play his little game just for the hell of it?” She asked as he walked around the car to open the door for her. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

“No media is ever bad media when your name is Tony Stark, sweetheart,” he whispered the words against her ear, his mustache brushing against her cheek. He turned to face the cameras and waved, his billionaire smile glued on. He kissed her cheek again and offered her his elbow to walk her past security. Roxanne rolled her eyes and let him make Jerry’s day. 

XXX

Roxanne was nearly asleep on her feet after spending the afternoon with Stark. She was so excited to see the couch in the dressing room that she ran to it, and jumped on it, stretching out in the process. She snuggled into the cushions and heaved out a deep breath. “Oh couch. You complete me.”

“Is there anything on this planet that doesn’t?” It was petulant. Roxanne sat up, confused. She turned to where she’d heard the voice, but couldn’t see anyone. Peter stepped out from by a clothing rack. “I didn’t mean to hide, but people keep coming in to make sure there’s stuff in here, and I didn’t want to get tossed. Not after I saw you on the news.” He nodded toward the TV. It was already showing footage of Tony Stark kissing her cheek. Roxanne made a disgusted noise and pushed herself off the couch.

“That was Jerry and Stark’s idea of marketing.” She wrapped her arms around Peter’s waist and leaned her head on his chest. His arms came around her, and he tangled his fingers in the rainbow layers of her hair.

“Who is that Stark guy, anyhow? I was surprised you weren’t the first name in the story,” Peter asked.

“Tony Stark? He’s a billionaire. Stark Industries is pretty much the only name in green energy these days. He’s also Iron Man,” Roxanne didn’t look up, preferring to remain snuggled in his arms.

“Iron Man? The superhero?” Peter asked.

“Mmmhmm,” Roxanne nodded her head against his chest.

“And Jerry wants you to –“

“Being seen with Stark makes it clear that Stark is trying to support the foundation. I’m hoping Jerry pulled this media stunt to see how me being seen with him would resonate with our fans. If it’s positive, he’ll want to announce a partnership with Stark Industries.” She was speculating, but it made sense. Jerry was trying to remove the barrier preventing the band from being willing to accept Stark’s money publically. “But it could be he’s doing it to try to force my hand, and make us accept Stark’s money publically. Apparently he’s been donating on the sly since the tour started.”

“So there’s nothing actually happening between you and Stark?” Peter asked. Roxanne leaned back and smirked.

“I don’t know, Pete. Why does it matter?” She was playing coy. Peter raised an eyebrow and dipped his head to kiss her. 

“Well, I owe you a do over. It would be awkward if you’re seeing someone,” Peter started, trailing a line of kisses down her neck. Roxanne nearly purred.

“I’ve got no entanglements, Pete,” she murmured, then stifled a yawn.

“You’re not going to fall asleep on me again? You look tired.” Peter was teasing, but there was a seriousness to the question.

“Shut up and start stripping, Star-Lord.” Roxanne pulled his mouth back to hers and pushed his coat off his shoulders.


End file.
